If you grow up in Maine you know what fiddleheads are. They are yummy, delicious, proof that summer will actually arrive! People descend on the local rivers, lakes, and springs to find these little coiled up baby ferns.
Fiddleheads are growing in popularity across the US as the Paleo diet trends continues, and more people realize just how amazing they are to eat! Plus they are high in Fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, and omega-3 fatty acids. They have always been a springtime delicacy in the Northeast, but especially Maine. These are the small heads of the ostrich fern. It's best to pick them when they are about an inch in diameter. The are identified by the brown papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern.
They are extremely easy to prepare. Clean them, cook them, eat them. Depending on where you buy them you might not even have to clean them. We are lucky that we live within walking distance to a few spots that we can pick them ourselves. So for us, our fiddleheads are absolutely free!!! However, it is common to pay $4 or per pound of these ferns locally.
The key to really enjoying your fiddleheads is proper preparation. The very first thing you have to do is wash them, and trim off any ends or pieces that are turning brown. You only want nice, bright green pieces to eat :)
Many people will blanch their fiddleheads next since they freeze them. If you just plan on boiling them and eating them right away then you don't have to do this. If you'd like to do something different then you need to blanch them. Blanching your fiddleheads will help them to retain their crisp texture.
- Cook for 1-2 mins in a pot of salted boiling water
- Drain the fiddleheads
- Quickly plunge them into cold water to stop them from cooking.
Once you've blanched your fiddleheads, you can do almost anything with them! My parents would just boil them and serve them in a bowl with salt & pepper and vinegar. Other people saute them with butter. You do want to make sure that they are thoroughly cooked before eating them. Undercooked fiddleheads can cause digestion problems, which aren't fun. So save yourself a bad day and make sure they are cooked!
Steamed Garlic Fiddleheads
- 3 Tbsp. butter
- 1-2 cloves fresh garlic
- 2 cups fiddlehead ferns
- juice of one lemon
Steam fiddleheads for 10-15 minutes.
Heat butter and sauté garlic slowly, adding fiddleheads.
Squeeze lemon juice and cook for another couple of minutes.
Season to taste.
Need a new colander for your home? Check out the Collapsible Over Sink Colander from Linen World. It has a large capacity of 6 quarts making it excellent for cleaning your fiddleheads.
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